Narrowing it down to the top 10 was such a pain, I just had to include my other “notables“. I think these didn’t really blow my mind away in the uniqueness factor like the top ten did, but the flavors were solid and still memorable.

So in alphabetical order (I’m OC that way. Haha!), and with a short description each, here’re the other noteworthy ones of that day.

Chef’s Table’s Buko Pie Martini: Non-alcoholic, this got its name due to the fact that it is served in a martini glass. Fun no? The custard part of this dish was amply sweet and there was a soft buko pie crust too. Playful interpretation of the classic pasalubong.

Chef's Table's Buko Pie Martini

Eat my GF’s Garlic Fries: GF. Garlic Fries. Get it? Get it? :-D This was refreshing in that fries were flavored with real garlic, and I love me some garlic. I wished that they use fresh potatoes though, instead of the store-bought pre-cut kind.

Eat My GF's Garlic Fries

Elle’s Torta: This almost did not make my list since I thought the testing portions in the tent were a bit dry. Fortunately, I won a box during a raffle (Woohoo!) and that led to my change of heart. Kite’s mom ate three of the six. That means it was good. I tasted it fresh from the box too, and it was miles better.

Elle's Torta

Gourmet Keso Chevre with Cashews and Truffle Salt and with Garlic and Herbs: Chevre is just a fancy way of saying goat cheese. I first read of this cheese maker from Market Man, and I was glad I was finally able to sample it. I liked the one with garlic and herbs more, but the one with cashews and truffle salt was good too.

Gourmet Keso's Chevre with Cashews and Truffle Salt and with Garlic and Herbs

Hong Kong Roast Food Express Asado and Salted Chicken: Another example of solid flavors. Kite and I both loved the salted chicken. For a chicken dish, it had a different texture and was very tender but the flavor was truly memorable: simple and clean. The asado was good too, but we thought it was a bit tough.

Hong Kong Roast Food Express Asado and Salted Chicken

Hyphy’s Calamansi Tuyo Spaghetti: Calamansi and tuyo in pasta! Clever clever. I wanted more of the citrus and I was told that in the restaurant it was served with a separate serving of calamansi juice. Makadaan nga sa Veranda one of these days…

Hyphy's Calamansi Tuyo Spaghetti

The Sweet Life by Ange’s Sweet Surrender (Brazo with Ice Cream) and Red Velvet Cheesecake: I love brazo. I love cheesecake. I love red velvet. So it wasn’t really surprising that I loved Ange’s sweets. The Sweet Surrender was the better of the two. I expected something different from the Red Velvet Cheesecake kasi. I thought it was cheesecake flavored and incorporated with red velvet, but instead it was like red velvet on top of cheesecake. It was still good, though.

The Sweet Life by Ange's Sweet Surrender (Brazo with Ice Cream) and Red Velvet Cheesecake

Again: WHEW! I’m mad at myself for not being able to finish 55. 33 lang! Toinks. But hey, not bad for a first timer right? got to work on saving this foodie reputation of mine. Kailan nga ba ang next?

Ultimate Taste Test 6.0 Passport :-)

As for the lessons learned part, there were definitely no shortages for that day.

1. Expect the unexpected. See picture below. Yun na!

Earth, swallow me now. Haha!

2. The person behind the counter plays a huuuuuge role on whether the taste testers would love their products or not. The ladies manning the stalls of Baked by Anita, Daims Deli, Mang Pedro’s Food Products, and 5 Loaves & 2 Fish know a thing or two about marketing. All of them engaged the crowd and interacted with them, smiles and all. Unfortunately, I came across some masungit ladies too. One almost raised her voice at us when we asked how many we can sample: “Isa lang.” Not even a po. Sayang. At the end of the day its business and being nice and polite really helps.

3. Good photographs? Keep your fingers crossed. Haha! Seriously, it was tough taking pictures with all the bumping going on. It was also embarrassing to take my time because other people were in line. Hmmm. Maybe it’s just me being a novice with this food photography thing. :-P

4. Pacing. Pacing. Pacing. Much like eating at a buffet, it was all about timing. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do this as we went all in four hours straight. I’ve heard of someone who completed all 55 stalls by watching a movie in between. Astig! I know better next time. ;-)

The Paolo Project

Paolo Mandingiado is a guy in his 30′s (gasp!) who loves to write about – you guessed it – food, places, passions and life. He is an IT professional and keeps himself busy by practicing yoga, running road races, playing badminton, continuously learning, going places and attempting to live life to the fullest.

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“Ahem” moments: Paolo lands a spot on the Top 5 of The Sooo Pinoy Search for the Ultimate Food Blogger!

Paolo travels like Rolf Potts!

I travel like Rolf Potts !

You are a travel legend in the making, with a sense of adventure that will lead to hundreds of fascinating stories. Locals all over the world will give you special nicknames, and almost all of them will be complimentary.